Do You Know?

Depending on whom you ask, the term Internet marketing can mean a variety of things. At one time, Internet marketing consisted mostly of having a website or placing banner ads on other websites. On the other end of the spectrum, there are loads of companies telling you that you can make a fortune overnight on the Internet and who try to sell you some form of "Internet marketing program".

Today, Internet marketing, or online marketing, is evolving into a broader mix of components a company can use as a means of increasing sales - even if your business is done completely online, partly online, or completely offline. The decision to use Internet marketing as part of a company's overall marketing strategy is strictly up to the company of course, but as a rule, Internet marketing is becoming an increasingly important part of nearly every company's marketing mix. For some online businesses, it is the only form of marketing being practiced.

Marketing is not advertising. Marketing is finding out what people want, why they want it and how much they'll spend. Don't confuse marketing with advertising. Advertising is the promotion of a service or product or company. It features a strong call to action and promotes the benefits of that being advertised. Sales is sales! It's converting an inquiry or lead into a contract or shipment. Sales is not market research, business development or advertising.

Essentially, Internet marketing is using the Internet to do one or more of the following:

Communicate a company's message about itself, its products, or its services online.

Conduct research as to the nature (demographics, preferences, and needs) of existing and potential customers.

Sell goods, services, or advertising space over the Internet.

Of all of the components of Internet marketing, prospective customers and clients expect a business to have a website. In fact, not having one could raise a red flag to a prospect. Online usage has become so pervasive today, many prospects might easily choose to do business with a company that they can get up-to-date information on 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.